


The Journey of a Thousand Steps

by gardengalaxy



Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Uchiha Sasuke, F/M, Found Family, Healthy Relationships, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Love, Missing-Nin, Orphans, Propaganda, Romance, Soft Uchiha Sasuke, True Love, discussions of propaganda, leaving a fascist dictatorship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25080469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gardengalaxy/pseuds/gardengalaxy
Summary: It's time to go. Sasuke is waiting for you, and you are waiting for him, and the future awaits both of you.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53
Collections: SasukexReader





	The Journey of a Thousand Steps

Packing was a unique experience, and the more you packed the less you felt the need to stay. You had no trinkets from your family, who were either dead or didn’t want you. What friends you had either moved past the blase snarky girl, or got fed up when you had no time for them due to trying to pay rent. You didn’t know what it was like to be a child or have a night out.  
Your pulse picked up as you found a necklace at the bottom of your drawer. It was one Sasuke had brought you when he had come to visit in secret. He said it matched your eyes.  
You held it. Felt its weight. Rolled the jewelry in your palms, before putting the slim necklace on. You appraised yourself in the mirror, wondering what Sasuke would see. A girl, toned from working at restaurants as both a cook and waitress, from cleaning houses, from babysitting wild children, and unloading goods in the market. A girl in old ratty clothes. A girl with a slight belly pouch, unhealthy fattening foods being the only thing available on nights between paychecks. A girl with hair always tied up.  
Blinking, you let your hair down. You go into your other drawer and pull out the only decent clothes you have. Smooth, blue cotton pants with pockets for your chapstick, and a dark pink sweater. Perfect for the fall weather.  
A bang at your door had you jumping, quickly shoving your nice clothes back. You opened the flimsy plywood to see your landlord.  
“Look, I gave you an extra month cause you said you had a money problem. Well, tomorrow it’s gonna be two months and I don’t see any rent money-”  
“I’ll get it to you tomorrow night. I was just about to leave for my night shift at work.” You said, gesturing at your work clothes.  
He harrumphs, and you hold back a smile as he leaves. The rent money was in your room right now in the backpack. You purposefully didn’t pay it last month or this month, knowing you would need it on the road, and that you had enough of a silver tongue to persuade the otherwise cruel landlord to let you do it.  
You took off the necklace. Put your hair up. And went to your last night of work in Konoha.  
The familiar sights were not reassuring. You watched children play with toy kunai and mime stabbing the other to death, you witnessed old kunoichi disparaging poorer civilian women for daring to be soft and something other than a mercenary, while ignoring the rich noble women who paid their bills. You watched as someone read the biased village newspaper and agreed with the articles that described the orphans as parasites to the economy despite the fact that they cooked his meals, watched his kids, and cleaned his house.  
Sometimes you wanted to scream and curse and cry at this place that ground you down and then expected you to be grateful for it, but you knew you couldn’t. Not here. Not yet.  
The five hokages looked down at you from above, and this time instead of focusing on the ground, you met them head on, and only stopped when you turned into Ichiraku’s ramen stand. You typically took the night shifts, while Ayame took the day shifts to help her father as she had school during the evening.  
Naruto, loud and boisterous, sat down. Sakura was with him and you tilted your head thoughtfully. Did she remember you? Years ago, when the both of you were younger, you had gone to the same school together and were friends. A civilian one that taught reading, writing, and maths. She had gotten in due to her smarts, and having two middle class parents. You had gotten due to smarts only, but had to drop. Sakura was able to use what she had learned there to move on and do well in the ninja academy while you rotted.  
You had also walked past her, the naive, possessive girl, as you had warned Sasuke away from this place. Even if you could not escape, he still could.  
She looks at you now. There is no recognition, but she looks thoughtful at your pensiveness. Maybe she will figure it out. But by then it will be too late, because Sasuke is going to come and whisk you away from this place.  
A shiver of excitement passes through you. Your short business trips would be nothing compared to this.  
“Oh, hey! I haven’t seen you in awhile, cause I normally come during the day, haha, how are you doing?”  
“Oh, you know, peachy.” You respond, ladling his ramen. It’s a little scary how quick he forgot his orphan roots when given scraps from the village. But considering what he is, it must be a relief. What can you say? Working as a cleaner at a bar filled with angry drunk adults meant secrets slipped out.  
They say their thank you’s as you place down the ramen, and eat. Your boss is sitting in the back. You busy yourself with cleaning as they chatter among themselves quietly.  
“I just don’t understand how Sasuke could just leave this place. We were his friends!”  
“Sakura, he was consumed by the darkness in him, it became too much and he sought vengeance. But don’t worry, I’ll save him from it, even if I have to drag him kicking and screaming to the light!”  
The pair of chopsticks you are holding snap. They don’t notice. You are seething, anger burns hot inside you like a pot boiling over, and you want to yell and shout at the top of your lungs at them. What the fuck did “darkness” mean? What the actual hell were they talking about?  
Some friends they were, if they would go against his wishes like that. If they would ignore the real harm this village did and was actively doing to Sasuke. They fact they would physically assault him and force him back against his wishes to get their way was sickening. Sasuke had already told them his motives, but they just didn’t want to listen.  
Did they really think they were good because it was what the village wanted? Perhaps it was a good thing you dropped out early, before the propaganda could take effect on you.  
When morning comes, you go home. You finish packing, and put on your nice clothes. You let your hair down, and it hangs around you in beautiful curtains you rarely get to enjoy. You show your credentials and walk past the guards and down the dirt path towards the pick up point.  
No one would look for you. You left some items in your room to throw them off. They would write it off as an unfortunate side effect of a cheap boss, one who didn’t want to hire a genin courier mission and instead sent a helpless civilian girl to deliver notes by herself.  
You took a moment to feel sad about that, before breathing in, barely controlling your excitement as you tugged your necklace.  
The gates close behind you, closing out the image of the Hokages with it. You did not look back.  
When he appears suddenly before you on the now empty road, you jump. He approaches slowly, pauses, and wraps his arms around you like he cannot believe that you are here too. Gasps come from the tree in his affection. You hug back to reassure him of your presence.  
“...You have on my necklace.”  
“I wanted you to know that I appreciated it.”  
He smiles, and signals for his team to jump down. Three teenagers, all intimidating for different reasons, face you. You can feel their heavy gazes, wondering about the girl, a civilian no less, who holds their leader's heart. You square your shoulders and meet their gazes as they are introduced and as you introduce yourself in turn.  
“Well? What's our first stop?”  
Sasuke smirks.  
“We have a bounty to pick up on a noble in northern fire country, wanted for human trafficking. We need to find his whereabouts to secure funds. Then we plan our move against Konoha.”  
Suigetsu smirks at you, expecting you to maybe shriek in protest. Sasuke looks expectant too.  
You smile. Sunnily, innocent as an angel.  
“That sounds like a great idea! I have pretty good knowledge of Konoha’s layout from all my jobs there, I know a lot of backways and shortcuts. I could help with the planning if you like?”  
Sasuke's face breaks into a smirk, looking smug at the impressed faces of his teammates. He leans over, and brushes a loose piece of hair behind your ear as the other three squabble.  
“Damn, where’d you find this one.”  
“In Konoha, idiot!”  
“Stop fighting, Sasuke is about to leave.”  
You pout.  
“Don’t you like my hair down?”  
His face softens, moving to stand closer and press his lips against your temple.  
“I do. But it blocks too much of your face.”  
He turns around.  
“Alright, lets move out. Head north!” They jump into the treetops and you fidget in worry, only to feel strong arms move under your knees and back.  
“Oh, are you sure, I’m kinda heavy-”  
He picks you up effortlessly, pressing you up against a strong chest and defined muscles. He jumps into the trees, catching up to the others with you cradled against him like something precious. Something wanted. Something loved.  
He smirks, or rather, smiles again at your awe and your blush, dropping his head to gently but confidently press his lips to yours as he flew through the air.  
“I told you. I am going to take care of you from now on. You don’t have to worry anymore about making ends meet.”  
Your heart soared, and you feel like your life is about to begin. This has to be the best decision you have ever made, and besides some passing worries that Sasuke easily assured, you feel no regret.  
None at all.


End file.
